Boston Harbor Lighthouse on a warm summer morning.
Famous Shipwrecks Around Boston Harbor Light
Around Little Brewster Island, over the centuries, numerous shipwrecks occurred, and daring rescues were made by lighthouse keepers and the lifesavers at the Point Allerton Life Saving Station, located at the end of a 7-mile-long peninsula on the mainland in Hull. The station lies about a mile across the shipping channel from the lighthouse and the island, as most ships would have to come through this channel to enter Boston Harbor safely. During many storms, the keeper of Boston Light coordinated signals between the lighthouse station and the lifesavers of Hull, as the keeper’s main job was to maintain the light burning. In contrast, the lifesavers were specially trained in rescues.
A little over 750 yards away from the lighthouse is a group of jagged rock formations known as Shag Rocks. This deadly outcrop of rocks became one of the main reasons for the initial construction of Boston Light on Little Brewster Island, to steer mariners away from these jagged rocks into the safety of the harbor.
The Rescue of the Maritana By the Hull Lifesavers
The most tragic shipwreck in Boston Harbor, near the lighthouse, involved the wreck of the Maritana, which was caught in a gale-force snowstorm on November 2, 1861, and wrecked on nearby Shag Rocks, less than half a mile from the lighthouse, just after 1 a.m. The storm dragged on, and Keeper Moses Barrett sighted the wrecked vessel later that morning through a slight break in the blinding snow. However, the wreck was too far away, and the howling winds and churning seas were too dangerous for the keeper to attempt a rescue. He sent a distress signal to the Point Allerton Lifesavers in Hull on the mainland across the two-mile channel. Captain Samuel James of the lifesavers finally sighted it later that afternoon, but the seas remained too perilous for an attempt into open waters until the next day, November 3. Some of the crew members of the Maritana had already perished in the freezing temperatures and icy waters sweeping over the wreck. When the ship broke in two, those who died included Captain Williams, who fell from the upper deck and was swept into the sea with others and drowned.
Ice Rocks Along Seacoast
Twelve crew members jumped off the wreck and climbed onto jagged rocks to await rescue as freezing seas washed over them. Nearly 30 hours after the wreck occurred, Captain James of the Point Allerton lifesavers could finally attempt a rescue in the early afternoon of November 3rd when the storm started to subside. He and his crew successfully rescued the twelve survivors from the howling gale and freezing ocean spray: ten crew members and two passengers. Twenty-six people perished; eleven crew members and fifteen passengers, including eleven female passengers. The wreck of the Maritana, resulting in the loss of 26 lives, was labeled the worst wreck ever to occur in Boston Harbor and still holds that tragic title today.
Little remained of the wreck, as debris was scattered across the islands; however, the female figurehead from the Maritana was recovered without a scratch. The figurehead was believed to be cursed, as two other ships that had previously carried it were also lost in storms. She was found entirely unscathed when salvaged from the Maritana wreck, just as she had been on the previous vessels she had traveled with. After being brought ashore and displayed on one of the Boston piers, that pier caught fire, but she recovered without a scratch again.
Boston Light on rocky Little Brewster Island in Massachusetts.
Keeper Thomas Bates Makes Perilous Rescue of the Fanny Pike
Keeper Thomas Bates was promoted to Keeper of Boston Lighthouse after a dramatic rescue at Minot’s Ledge Lighthouse, among other rescues. On January 31, 1882, a fierce storm approached the Massachusetts Bay area, bringing gale-force winds. The Fanny Pike, a coal schooner from Calais, Maine, was sailing from Weehawken, New Jersey, when it became caught in the storm and was driven onto a group of rocky outcroppings near Shag Rocks by Boston Light. The ship broke in two, with half of its hull sinking quickly. Fortunately, all crew members were still on the ship, which had wedged itself on the rocks.
Keeper Bates witnessed the incident and enlisted the help of his assistants, Charles Pochaska and George G. Bailey, along with a young fisherman from Little Brewster Island, to assist with the rescue. They rowed out to the wreck and successfully brought each man into the boat without incident. The survivors were brought back to the lighthouse and given warm clothing and food; a tug was notified, and the grateful crew members were transferred to Boston.
Rescue of the Calvin F. Baker By Hull Lifesavers
The schooner Calvin F. Baker was sailing from Baltimore to Boston with a load of coal during one of the worst storms of the century, characterized by hurricane-force winds and blinding snow that lasted from November 26 to 28, 1898. The ship was blown onto the northern end of Little Brewster Island at around 3:00 a.m. on November 27th. It was grounded about 75 yards from the rocky shore, near Boston Harbor Lighthouse. The storm was relentless, and the crew members could only hold on to the rigging and wait for a break in the storm to be rescued.
Keeper Pingree was unable to leave his station due to the intensity of the storm engulfing the area. He had no adequate equipment or a lifeboat strong enough to enter the churning waters. He was able to send a distress signal to the lifesavers of Point Allerton. Still, they, too, were unable to risk going out in the open waters until the storm finally calmed somewhat on the morning of November 28th.
With the help of the tug Ariel, Captain Joshua James of the lifesavers, along with members of his crew and some volunteers, were towed across the open waters to about a quarter mile from shore as the seas were still heaving. They launched their surfboat and rowed with all their might to rescue the crew of the Calivin F. Baker, who were literally frozen on the rigging on what was left of the wreck, and barely alive. Five crew members were rescued and survived, two others were swept off the deck and drowned, and one crew member froze to death. Because of the ferocity of this historic storm, it took 30 hours to rescue the crew.
U.S.S. Alacrity Navy Motor Yacht (1910).
Courtesy U.S. Coast Guard
Keeper Jennings Rescues Survivors of the Wreck of the U.S.S. Alacrity
One of the most daring rescues was made by a former Cape Cod lifesaver who later became a Boston lighthouse keeper. It involved the rescue of the U.S.S. Alacrity by Keeper Charles H. Jennings. The vessel was a Navy patrol motorboat built in 1910. It was assigned to search and identify German U-boats and other enemy ships that might be approaching Boston Harbor and the surrounding areas, extending out to Provincetown at the tip of Cape Cod. The entire region had endured many days of freezing temperatures in the single digits throughout January, resulting in the formation of numerous ice cakes in the harbor and around the shores of the islands, including Little Brewster Island.
On February 3, 1918, during a winter storm, the U.S.S. Alacrity was wrecked on the ice-covered ledges off Little Brewster Island just before daybreak as the captain sounded the distress signal. Jennings realized that time was critical, and fearing the wreck could slip off the ledge and sink immediately, he decided to attempt the rescue before signaling the lifesaving station in Hull.
He had been given some lifesaving equipment by the Massachusetts Humane Society, including a cannon-like Lyle gun to shoot a line to a wreck. However, after four failed attempts, Jennings decided to grab his wooden dory on the other side of the island and bring it down to the shore with the help of two local sailors visiting him, whose last names were Hero and Harvey. They launched the dory over the ice and into the heaving surf.
Twenty-four men were stranded on the wreck in freezing February temperatures, aware that if they remained on the boat much longer, it would soon slip beneath the icy waters. Attempting to navigate the ice cakes would undoubtedly lead to drowning if they slipped between them and into the water. It was also a perilous journey for the keeper, as he too risked falling off the ice cakes or tipping the boat into the frigid waters.
With all his might, Jennings rowed towards the wreck. He navigated around and over the ice cakes, and he got close enough to the wreck to throw his heaving stick, which one of the crew caught to secure a line to the wreck. He then began the daunting task of rescuing the freezing sailors from the ship, trying to prevent them from plunging into the icy waters, as his small boat could only accommodate half a dozen survivors for the trip. Carefully, he maneuvered through the treacherous ice and surf until he safely reached the shore with the first group of men. With heroic determination, the keeper took the boat out three more times, successfully maneuvering his little dory and managing to keep the survivors from slipping into the freezing waters, ultimately saving all twenty-four men of the U.S.S. Alacrity.
Keeper Charles H. Jennings received a letter of commendation from Secretary of Commerce William Redfield for his heroism.
Exploring Boston Harbor Light and Grounds
The lighthouse is located on Little Brewster Island, marking the entrance to Boston Harbor. Tours are offered to cruise past the island, and park tours are available to get on the island and explore the lighthouse during the summer months. The Boston Harbor Islands Park Service provides narrated trips by the park rangers during the summer, where visitors can see Boston Harbor Lighthouse, Graves Lighthouse, and Long Island Head Lighthouse. They have been directly involved in preserving all 34 islands in the harbor. Boston Harbor Now is the non-profit partner of the Boston Harbor Islands National and State Park. They also offer public ferry services, as well as a range of cultural and recreational activities.
Enjoy!
Allan Wood
Books to Explore
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New England’s Haunted Lighthouses:
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Discover the mysteries of the haunted lighthouses of New England! Uncover ghostly tales of lingering keepers, victims of misfortune or local shipwrecks, lost souls, ghost ships, and more. Many of these accounts begin with actual historical events that later lead to unexplained incidents. Boston Light is considered to be haunted by its first keeper and other individuals.
Immerse yourself in the tales associated with these iconic beacons!
The Rise and Demise of the Largest Sailing Ships
The Rise and Demise of the Largest Sailing Ships:
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In the early 1900s, New England shipbuilders constructed the world’s largest sailing ships amid social and political reforms. These giants were the ten original six-masted coal schooners and one colossal seven-masted vessel, built to carry massive quantities of coal and building supplies, and measured longer than a football field! This self-published book, rich in color and vintage images, showcases the historical accounts that accompanied these mighty ships.
Available also from bookstores in paperback, hardcover, and as an eBook for all devices.
Lighthouses and Coastal Attractions in Southern New England
Lighthouses and Coastal Attractions of Southern New England:
Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts
This 300-page book offers memorable human-interest stories from each of the 92 lighthouses, including Boston Light. You can explore plenty of indoor and outdoor coastal attractions, including whale-watching excursions, lighthouse tours, windjammer sailing tours, parks, museums, and even lighthouses where you can stay overnight. You’ll also find plenty of stories of hauntings around lighthouses.
Lighthouses and Coastal Attractions in Northern New England
Lighthouses and Coastal Attractions of Northern New England:
New Hampshire, Maine, and Vermont
This 300-page book provides memorable human interest stories from each of the 76 lighthouses. It also describes and provides contact information for numerous indoor and outdoor coastal attractions and tours. These include whale watching, lighthouse tours, unique parks, museums, and lighthouses where you can stay overnight. There are also stories of haunted lighthouses in these regions.
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